Divided Souls
by Weird
Summary: Alternate take on what happened after Yugi lost his duel to Kaiba. Yugi must learn to trust in the spirit of his item.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Never owned 'em, never will...sniff

Synopsis: Alternate take on what could've happened after Yugi was defeated by Kaiba. Yugi must learn to once again trust in the spirit of the Millinnium Puzzle.

Side Notes: This is based completely on the dubbed version. So basically you're stuck with the accents, the bad names, and all that fun stuff. On the plus side, because of this, I will not refere to the spirit in the puzzle as Yami because I have yet to hear Yugi call him that.

Updated October 8, 2004: Hey, since FF.N has done some wonderful stuff with their site, I've decided to fix my errors and the silly things I had to do to get this fiction to work while there were still coding errors (or something like that). Anywho, most of the text will remain the same. I'm only changing huge mistakes, problems I currently have with some of it, and putting in my italics. ï Enjoy!

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"I can never duel again."

Joey glared down at Yugi, reaching for the small boy to snap him into his senses. Yeah, Yugi had lost a duel to that filth, Seto Kaiba, but it wasn't the end of the world. Joey had lost hundreds of duels before and yet kept going. Sure, he wasn't anywhere near his friend's rank as a duelist. But Gramps had taught him a hundred times before it wasn't how many times you won a duel, all that mattered was if you had the strength to fight again.

Surely Yugi had learned that lesson. Joey had never met anyone with as tough of a spirit as Yugi. It seemed everything his friend lacked in physical strength, he made up for in his mental abilities. So why was he giving up after losing this one duel?

_I can't do it,_ Yugi thought as he felt himself being shaken, some part of his mind noticing that Joey was yelling at him. _I can't risk any more lives by letting the spirit of my puzzle take over. He was willing to do anything to win, including destroying Kaiba. I will not let it come that close again. _His trouble mind fleetingly wondered if his spirit perhaps wasn't all that good. What if it was just like Bakura's? What if, instead of a guardian, he had received only more pain, more darkness, more destruction?

Yugi felt the presence of the spirit start to press at his mind again.

_No!_

Yugi pushed at the other being that had taken residence inside of him. He wanted him out of his mind, out of his body, as far away from him as possible. Tears began to form in his eyes again as he shoved the spirit with everything he had. Yugi felt as if his body was being torn to shreds, as if the world around him was collapsing. The spirit began to call out again, pleading for him to stop. The other essence was feeling the pain as well.

_Go AWAY!_ Yugi screamed at him. And then the pain stopped.

Joey fell back with the others in shock as Yugi's Millennium Item started glowing. The mortals had to cover their eyes as the light grew painfully bright. All four gasped as a spike of pain flew through their bodies, and a mental cry of anguish ripped through them.

Then the light faded. Joey was the first to try looking at Yugi. He cried out in astonishment, causing the others to forget caution and look up as well. Their mouths fell open.

Where there had once been one Yugi Mutou, there were now two.


	2. Chapter 2

Onward ho! ;)

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Yugi was on his hands and knees, trying to take in as much air as he could. His hands were gripping at the cold stones so hard that for a moment Tristen was actually afraid they might break. Yugi's face was as pale as Bakura's hair, and he was sweating.

"Yugi!" Téa ran over to help him and was soon followed by the others. Joey and Téa each grabbed an arm and helped Yugi to his feet while Tristen checked him over for injury. "Are you alright?" Yugi didn't reply, just stood there in a daze.

_He's gone,_ the young boy thought, searching his mind. _I don't sense him anymore. I did it! I'm free!_

Bakura, seeing his friend was in good hands, decided to check out the other person who was at the moment lying on his side unconscious. He looked oddly like Yugi only he was taller, more masculine, and had a slight difference to his hair and facial features. The white hair boy realized that it was the spirit from Yugi's item his own evil "twin" had battled in the shadow realm. Bakura blinked and looked back and forth between the spirit and Yugi, letting out a slight shudder as he thought of just what might have happened had his spirit ever become separate from him.

The teen knelt down and gently shook the surprisingly solid spirit's shoulder. The spirit moaned softly, drawing the attention of the others. Yugi, if possible, went even whiter and was now completely dependent on Joey and Téa's strength to hold him up.

_He followed me here...I'm trapped again._

Yugi watched helplessly on as the spirit slowly opened his eyes, shading them with a hand while they grew accustomed to the glaring sunlight. The spirit sat up and rubbed his head while taking in his surroundings. He froze as his gaze fell upon Yugi.

"Are we in the Shadow Realm?" he asked, his voice rich and deep, another characteristic unique to him. The others looked confused while Yugi just looked sick, but Bakura was able to answer for him.

"I don't think so," Bakura said softly, causing the spirit to take his gaze off of Yugi. The boy was very grateful for this. "With all the experiences I've had of the Shadow Realm, it was dark and ominous. And I've never seen anyone without a Millennium Item or who wasn't trapped in a card there either." The spirit nodded as he stood.

"But then how..." he wondered, looking back at Yugi. The boy had finally gained enough courage to conjure up a glare. The spirit looked mildly surprised. There was a long silence as nobody knew what to say.

"I knew it wasn't a dream!" Téa suddenly stated. It had sounded good when she thought about saying it, but now it probably wasn't the best conversation starter. Oh well, there was nothing else to work with. "We really did get trapped in those cards, and there really were two Yugis and an evil Bakura weren't there?"

Bakura looked a little sheepish, and the spirit nodded an affirmative to her.

"Then you're the spirit from Yugi's item that's been helping him all this time!" Tristen decided to state the obvious.

"Helping?!" Everyone turned as Yugi finally spoke. "Helping?! You mean by killing my friends?!"

The spirit narrowed his eyes at this.

"Kaiba is not our friend."

"That's not the point!" Yugi shrugged Joey and Téa away. "You were willing to hurt someone in order to win a game!"

"It was not just a game," the spirit replied calmly, almost patronizing his other half with his composure. "The stakes were very high. I was only trying to help you get back your grandfather."

"It's not worth it if other people need to get hurt." Yugi dashed away the tears that were threatening to fall again. He had always had trouble holding back his emotions.

"What's with the 'twin' fest?" Everyone looked towards the steps as Mai approached. "Did I miss something?"

"Only Yugi arguin' with his exact look-alike who should be trapped in the puzzle around his neck," Joey shrugged. "Othawise ya didn't miss a thing."

"What the heck are you talking about?" Mai glanced at Yugi and then the spirit. "You look awfully familiar..."

"Yugi," the spirit turned back to his other half, ignoring Mai for the moment. "It was you who separated us. You were pushing me away and suddenly I was here."

"I wanted you out," Yugi said, his eyes still narrowed.

"Yes, and you accomplished your goal." The spirit frowned at the child, wondering at how he had gained the strength to pull it off. Yugi was a smart boy, but the spirit had always believed that in the dire end, he could be the one in control. It was not looking that way now. "Now how do we get back together?"

"You mean you don't know how to fix this?" Tristen sighed. He didn't understand everything that was going on here, but he figured that Yugi 2 would know what to do. The spirit had gotten them out of more sticky situations than he could count.

"Something like this has never happened before. At least to my knowledge," the spirit told him. "Yugi was the one who took us apart, so he should also be the one to bring us back together."

"Well I don't know," Yugi admitted. "And the truth is, that if I did know, I wouldn't do it!" The spirit took a step back. Yugi was quite happy to see that he had shocked the other man. Maybe now he could know how it felt to have your destiny stuck in the hands of another who was unwilling to play by your rules.

"Yugi you can't mean that," Téa said gently, trying to put her hand on his shoulder. Yugi shrugged her off and continued to stare down his double.

"I do. I'm glad I got rid of you! Things would have been so much better if I never solved this puzzle!" Yugi fingered the Millennium Item around his neck. He wanted to throw it away...even break the thing back into its little pieces. But something wouldn't let him.

"Yugi, please..." The spirit reached for him. Yugi pulled away as if he was afraid of being stung by the delicate fingers, then ran around Mai and down the steps towards the woods. He needed to get away from them all, especially _him_. He needed time to think. He just needed space.

"Yugi!" Everyone began to chase after, but the smaller boy had the advantage of surprising the others and therefore had a much larger lead. The trees soon concealed Yugi's path, making it near impossible for the others to find him.

The spirit didn't bother running after his other. Instead, he gently caressed the puzzle hanging on his neck. Despite his best efforts, Yugi had not been able to completely separate the two. The spirit could still sense the boy and instead followed his intuition while the others blindly ran around.

He found Yugi sitting by a small brook with his knees pulled up to his chest. The spirit came up behind his other, but just as he had used their connection to find Yugi, the boy used it to sense his darker side coming.

"I told you I didn't want you anymore!" He stood up and turned to face the spirit. "Go away! Just leave me alone!"

"Yugi, please, you must listen to me."

"I don't want to," the boy said through clenched teeth.

"Yugi..."

"Just stop!" Yugi launched himself at the spirit, tackling him to the ground. The force of his leap sent them both backwards and tumbling down the grassy hill. They finally stopped, a little bruised and battered, their clothing torn by the weeds and rocks. Yugi landed a few inches from the spirit. The spirit shook his head and mumbled something incoherent though Yugi could detect the words foolish and boy. He started to stand, ready to run from the spirit, but the other man grabbed his wrist with an iron grip. Yugi began to struggle.

"Don't. Move," the spirit said each word slowly and deliberately, and for once Yugi decided to listen.

"What's wrong?" he asked, a little afraid.

"Trap. Most likely set by Pegasus to amuse himself." The spirit closed his eyes and cautiously started to stand.

Bad move.

The ground beneath them trembled and collapsed, sending both Yugi and the spirit from the item hurtling towards the black abyss.


	3. Chapter 3

Ok, I'm not exactly satisfied with the anime suddenly going on and having Yami being called Yami...sighs Oh well, doesn't mean I'm going to go ahead and do it. It'll be a surprise...

Oh, and I really am sorry about taking so long and then writing such short chapters. blushes I have three fictions I'm working on plus high school plus other fun stuff my RL and online life consists of. Really, I'm trying. Thanks for all the reviews guys, they really mean a lot to me.

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The spirit was the first to awaken, blinking his large eyes a few times and groaning as a throbbing pain shot up his body. It had been a very long time since he had his own body and had to deal with his own pain. He waited for his vision to clear before taking in his surroundings. A rather dark cavern that might have been pitch black if not for the sunlight that filtered through the large hole above. There was the unconscious form lying across from the man.

"Yugi!" The pharaoh pushed aside the pain, wincing as he stood and stumbled over to the boy. Yugi wasn't breathing.

"No..." The spirit looked down horrified. He had a faint idea of what to do, but respiratory resuscitation and CPR weren't common practice back in his time. He remembered seeing Yugi watch something on that colored box about it though, a ritual performed in this modern age to bring the dead back to life.

First he had to get the boy on his back. The spirit grabbed Yugi and twisted him around into the correct position, putting the boy's arms and legs straight out. The second thing was opening the mouth and making sure the tongue wasn't blocking the airways. The spirit saw that it wasn't, so he proceeded to the next step. He raised his fist and hit the child on the chest. Next came the ritual cry.

"Live darn you!" he screamed before bringing his fist back down. Was he supposed to do the pounding three or four times? The spirit started to panic as he couldn't remember, but decided to do four for good measure, screaming the ritual cry after the third hit.

Yugi still wasn't breathing, but the spirit considered that a good sign because he still had one more part of the ceremony to complete before the boy was supposed to awaken from the spirit world. He roughly grabbed Yugi by the shoulders and started shaking.

"No! You can't leave me! You can't die on me!" he said making sure to over dramatize his words. There were also supposed to be tears, and the spirit found these came easily enough. After all, if the ritual didn't work, he would lose the soul he had vowed to protect.

He stopped shaking Yugi and found the boy was still not breathing, and now the boy's faint heartbeat had stilled. The spirit went white wondering if it really had only been three hits instead of four.

"Yugi? Yugi?!" His voice became a little shriller, and the spirit pulled the body close to him, cradling the dead boy. "No..."

The spirit started crying into Yugi's soft hair. It was his fault. If he hadn't betrayed Yugi's trust, the boy wouldn't have run off and fallen into this pit. He wouldn't have died. Instead of protecting this innocent life, he had led it to chaos and death.

The puzzle around the spirit's neck started to glow, and Yugi's soon joined it. The pharaoh looked down at the bright light and put as his will and strength into his desire, pleading for whatever magic this was to help the young one. A bright sennen eye appeared on his forehead and the blackness of the cavern shied away from the unnatural sight.

When the glowing subsided, Yugi let out a small cough and took in a shuddering breath. The spirit smiled and pulled the boy closer to him. He was not about to lose his charge again.


	4. Chapter 4

Sorry if it's taken a bit of time. I hope this chapter makes up for the wait! I really wanna thank all you guys who have been reviewing my story. It means a lot.

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Time seemed to stop as the ground collapsed beneath Yugi, allowing him a moment to realize what had happened and, according to the laws of nature, what had to take place. The ground had caved in. There was nothing under his feet. He was going to fall into a hole. And it was a _very_ deep hole. Once this information had passed through his thoughts, time restarted with a speed too great for his mind to comprehend as his body was thrown into the pit beneath. He heard the dull thud of his body before he felt the sharp pain that lasted for only a second before the realm of blackness encircled him.

The young duelist shivered against the inky dark wondering where and how he had gotten where he was. Yugi began to walk around, lost, cold, and very afraid.

"Joey? Téa? Tristin? Bakura? Anyone?!" Suddenly he was underwater. The dark became a thing of the past as the necessitaty for air became the boy's only focus. Yugi tried swimming towards the surface, but he didn't know which way it was. He didn't even know how he had gotten under water in the first place! All Yugi did know was that his lungs felt like fire and his heart was trying to pound its way out of his chest. His rhythmic pumping became a rough thrashing as his time limit wore out.

The water disappeared, and with it, the darkness. A beautiful light surrounded him and forced oxygen back into his lungs. Yugi clung onto the light like a starving man clings to a crust of bread. The light was warm; it brought peace and comfort from the pain. It felt almost like someone was cradling him. A voice cried out to come back, and Yugi ran towards it. Slowly the voice, the feeling, and even the light faded, but this time Yugi wasn't scared of the dark that followed. The presence of the light was still with him; it's strength and courage coursed through his body. Nothing could harm him now.

Yugi's eyes fluttered as he returned to the realm of the conscious. He looked up to see the stars shining down through a rather large hole in the sky. A hole in the sky?

Yugi jerked up only to whimper as the movement caused pain to shoot through every muscle and joint in his body. Black spots danced at the edges of his vision, and he started to fall back when strong, supporting hands found his shoulders and kept him sitting.

"You should not move so soon, little one. You nearly died on me."

_That voice sounds so familiar,_ Yugi thought. He relaxed his body and allowed his vision to clear before trying to twist around and see who was helping him. The spirit decided to make it easier on his injured companion and moved into Yugi's line of sight. The boy immediately stiffened and tried to back away. Only that firm grip on his shoulders held Yugi immobile and in utter terror.

"I'm not going to harm you," the spirit said soothingly. It was apparent the by his actions and by the look in Yugi's eyes the boy still rejected him. That knowledge hurt more than the spirit would have liked it to. "Please, allow me to help you."

Yugi looked his double over suspiciously. He didn't want the other man touching him, but he didn't have much of a choice. He couldn't very well move on his own. Slowly the boy relaxed and allowed the spirit to gently slide him over to one of the walls and prop him up. After seeing Yugi would be fine, the spirit moved away and sat cross-legged directly in front of his charge. The two regarded each other for long, silent minutes, sizing up the worth and strength of the other. Yugi, being the friendly teenager that he was, became the first to give in to the deafening silence.

"Where are we?" he finally ventured to ask.

"A deep chasm of some sort. It is like the place where Keith trapped us. To your right are a few passages," the spirit replied, gesturing in the general direction of the open spaces. "If we are not found soon, I fear we may have to attempt them." Yugi frowned at that.

"We can't go back the way we came?" An amused smile crossed the spirit's face, one that made Yugi feel even smaller than he was. Well how was he supposed to know what was climbable? Was climbable even a word?

"This is not a natural hole. The walls are too smooth with no handles to grip. Pegasus did his work well," the elder observed.

"Oh," was all Yugi could reply to that. The uncomfortable silence visited them again. The spirit seemed content to study the little one in front of him, and his never wavering gaze made Yugi shift uncomfortably. He winced.

"I told you not to move," the spirit said with a tinge of authority in his voice. "Apparently the puzzle doesn't have as much energy when we're separated, so I couldn't heal you fully from your fall. You're just lucky I was able to get you breathing again."

Breathing again? The dream with the water and drowning came back to him, and Yugi began to realize it hadn't been a dream after all. He had been dying.

"You said I almost died before, didn't you?" The spirit nodded in confirmation.

"You were not breathing when I came to, and your heart stopped for a moment. The puzzle was able to heal you and will continue to heal you if you give it the time to." The elder snorted. "Your modern rituals failed, by the way. I suggest reverting back to the old ways."

"Rituals?" Yugi asked with a puzzled expression.

"Yes, the ones you study off the glowing box."

"You mean the TV," Yugi corrected. The spirit shrugged. "I don't know of any rituals on the TV."

"The resurrection ritual." The spirit frowned when Yugi's puzzlement only grew. He could see and sense it. "When someone stops breathing, you put them on their back and spread their limbs out. Then you hit them on the chest with a closed fist and scream 'Live darn you' twice. Afterwards you shake them and while crying announce that they 'can not die on you'," he explained. "By the way, do you hit the patient three times or four?"

It took Yugi a few minutes to process what the other man had said and decipher the meaning behind the words. When the solution finally struck him, the boy fell over and started laughing hysterically. His other glowered and looked insulted.

"What?" the spirit demanded. Despite the pain it caused him, Yugi couldn't stop laughing long enough to form a coherent sentence. The spirit stood up and folded his arms over his chest.

"I demand you stop laughing this instant and tell me what's so wrong," he said firmly. Yugi's laughter died to giggles which he could fit phrases between.

"That wasn't...giggle...a ritual...snort...it was just...giggle...a TV show!" The boy sat back up and wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes.

"TV show?" Now it was the spirit's turn to look puzzled.

"Um, it's like a play with actors and actresses just pretending to rescue hurt people," Yugi said. A light flush appeared on the spirit's cheeks as he began to comprehend his mistake. Yugi began to giggle again, causing the other to go on the defensive.

"Well how should I know?" he asked indignantly. "What kind of magic shrinks performers to tiny sizes so they can entertain you from confined spaces?"

Yugi blinked a few times.

"You're not from around here are you?" _What kind of foolish question was that?_ Yugi thought to himself. Before him was a man that could be his identical twin except for a few slight differences that Yugi only wished would be granted upon his own form. Let's not forget this nearly identical twin lived in a puzzle that Yugi carried around his neck and merged with the boy during duels. Obviously he was not from these parts.

The spirit either ignored the obvious stupidity of the question or was too wrapped up in his own thoughts to notice.

"No," he sighed, looking up at the faint stars. "Not from your time at least. I'm...I'm not quite sure where I'm from."

"Well what do you know?" Yugi asked, his kind nature winning over and forcing him to try and help this man. The elder closed his eyes tightly and tried concentrating. Yugi could see beads of sweat forming on his paling face. The spirit opened his eyes and sighed, defeated for now.

"I have overcome many opponents, but I cannot conquer myself," he said sadly.

"Surely there must be something," Yugi pushed with a child's naivety. "Your mother, your father, your house...your name?"

"I know I am old, from an ancient time long before yours. I do know that I lived in what you now call Egypt. I also know I lived in a grand place with wondrous furnishings, and that my parents loved my dearly. I was trapped in the puzzle...I don't know how." He sounded frustrated. His hands clenched at his sides. "I don't even remember my name."

Yugi pitied his other at that point. Not to remember your family, friends, or even your self? It was a fate whose only equal was death.

"Well I need to call you something if we're going to be stuck here for awhile. And maybe a name might help you remember." The spirit turned back to Yugi and raised an eyebrow, the ache of unreachable memories replaced by curiosity.

"What do you suggest little one?"

Yugi's brow creased in concentration.

"Well, you are the spirit from my item. So how about Ki? It's not very original, but..." he trailed off.

"Anything will do besides Yugi," Ki said. Yugi frowned, and Ki realized he had messed up again. "Not that there's anything wrong with Yugi, it's just you deserve your own name and I deserve mine."

"Right because we're two different people," Yugi said.

"Exactly," Ki said, smiling. Then thought about it and frowned. "No, I mean...we're not but we are..."

"I understand," Yugi said, curling up as best as he could and closed his eyes, signaling he wanted to sleep. Ki sighed, knowing the boy was just being difficult now. The spirit was angry, but he wasn't sure if it was at the boy for being so stubborn or at himself for being so feebleminded.

Shaking his head, Ki slid out of his jacket and draped it over the boy before settling down nearby to rest his own body, trying hard not to groan as the muscles relaxed. It had been much too long since he had had to deal with these physical aspects of a real body. Right now it was just another annoyance added to the thoughts twirling through his spiky haired head.

Like the fact that Ki felt lost in his own body. He should be happy not to be attached to Yugi anymore. The boy only hindered his movements half the time. Yet Ki missed the presence of childish innocence blending with his own dark soul. Without Yugi he was just...what was he? Even he didn't know.

Sighing, Ki closed his eyes and leaned his head against the smooth surface. He hoped he could sleep. He wouldn't admit it, but his separation from Yugi left him paranoid beyond his grasp. And not for his own safety. It would now be even harder to make sure the boy came out alive from the danger that seemed to perpetually stalk him.

While the spirit was busy contemplating his own troubles, he failed to notice two curious orbs studying his motionless body. Yugi watched Ki for a few more moments before pulling the other's jacket tighter to him and falling asleep.


	5. Chapter 5

Alright, time to add in an outside conflict. ;) Oh c'mon, you knew it had to happen. If this little plot seems boring because it's been done to death, well, sorry, but don't get too overworked about it. I've got a few other tricks up my sleeve.

For those of ya that don't have good friends really into the Japanese language or a few books lying around the house on the subject, then _Ki_ is Japanese for Spirit/Life Force. Yeah, not really original, but then again, I'm sick of all the dubbed names (I understand Joey's, ok, but I think most children could've gotten a grasp on Honda...considering it's a freakin' car and all over here) so I didn't want to go American/English/Arabic here, Yugi stuck with his original name (minus that one U) so I thought he and his spirit might have that in common, and I've only become a big anime fan in the last...not even a year yet, so my Japanese knowledge is extremely limited.

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Bakura sighed and fell back against a nearby tree, sliding down its length until he was sitting in the soft grass at its base. Yugi had run away fairly early that evening; Bakura was sure it was nearing midnight, but the little duelist had yet to show up.

The ring keeper looked up at the sky, managing to catch a few of the heavenly stars winking at him through the thin branches of the trees above. A cool breeze blew his soft hair away from his face and neck, touching his bare skin with its icy kisses. Bakura smiled. Moments like these were rare, precious things that he had taken for granted so often before.

The darker presence of his item had stopped that. Bakura doubted he'd be able to take anything for granted again. He had never been popular before, but before receiving the "present" from his father, Bakura did have friends. Friends who began to just disappear without notice to anyone. Friends whose last memories were of betrayal and pain. Friends who, when he thought of them, brought back fuzzy memories of their screams and final moments in this realm.

Bakura had hated very few things in his young life, and the hatred felt towards these souls or objects was so dim in the young man's mind that it could hardly be called true hatred. There was only one thing in this world that Bakura could truly say he despised and wished would leave forever.

He hated that creature of the ring.

Somehow, though, Bakura found throwing the cursed object away impossible. He doubted he could actually do it even if another soul's life was on the line. There was a connection, something beyond his comprehension that attached him to this mere trinket.

He was therefore happy that Yugi's item had destroyed the dark spirit. Bakura didn't know if he would have been able to stay sane knowing _his_ hands had taken another innocent life. True, they weren't under his control at those times, but they were his hands nonetheless.

But what of this other spirit? Bakura mused. Yugi's guardian was so different from the evil residing in his ring. Bakura had been trapped during the duel between his spirit and Yugi's, only receiving a portion of painfully unclear thoughts from his other half to piece together what was happening. Armed with these and the ability to adapt quickly to present situations, once released from his card, the young man had been able to assess the situation rather swiftly and act accordingly. Only afterwards could he look back on what had really taken place.

He remembered Yugi's guardian with clarity, and henceforth was one of the few able to recognize when the spirit and his charge switched. Bakura found he would often stare at the commanding presence and compare it with his own. Yugi's guardian stood firmly, his feet planted apart, his entire body conveying to the world that he had the strength and will to win. Bakura's demon stood straight as well as if to spite his opponents, but at the same time his body was on edge, ready to flee at the first sign of failure. Yugi's spirit looked his friends and opponent's in the eyes. Bakura's spirit averted his or tilted his face to the side to hide any facial expressions. Yugi's spirit protected him. Bakura's trapped him in his own mind and destroyed everything he loved.

Yet they could be similar. Both spirits were rough around the edges; sharp, imposing entities that reflected the inner darkness of their two delicate, gentle vessels. They both had a mysterious aura about them. Even though Yugi's spirit never physically appeared to hide his truest identity, it was hard for one not to feel in the dark about him...in some cases quite literally.

Perhaps the two spirits had more in common than Bakura initially thought. After all, he was merely basing this description on a few duels. It was the only time the spirit ever came out after all. Bakura's innocence paled in comparison with Yugi's, and yet the boy had rejected his other half with passion, the pain and hate clear on his face while doing so. If Yugi could despise something that much, especially knowing it more intimately than Bakura ever would, who was he to claim he knew what the Puzzle's spirit was really like. Perhaps all Millennium Item bearers were doomed to lead painful lives with evil spirits that could claim their body without a second thought.

It was not a very comforting thought.

Bakura closed his eyes one last time before standing and stretching. He had rested far too long. The others would most likely be worrying about him. Even that one girl...Mai was it not? had helped join in the search. Hopefully they could find Yugi before his other did and somehow help him. If he needed help. The little one seemed quite capable despite his size and appearance.

_You think too much, fool_, Bakura mentally chided himself, laughing a bit out loud.

_I agree. _

The white haired youth froze.

_No..._ In his mind's eye, Bakura could see the other person's cold smile.

_Yes. _

_But he killed you! _

_Idiot. I own you. I don't know how you ever came around to believing otherwise, or how you even found the courage to betray me. Frankly, I'm disappointed with you. But that can wait. _

Bakura began to panic, fighting against the demon that was trying to regain control.

_Don't get any fool-hardy ideas from that little pest. You and I will not be separating unless I deem it to be so. _

Bakura felt his grasp on reality slipping, and then fall away altogether as he was thrown back in his mental prison. The teen looked up again, his eyes hardened and his hair bristling.

_The spirit of the puzzle should be weaker by now,_ the fiend thought as he commanded his item to take him towards the Millennium Puzzle. Indeed, the signal had lost its strength, and two pointers spread out instead of one. And so is his charge. The separation could not have come at a better time!

The Spirit of the Ring continued towards the destination, the cries of "Yugi!" growing fainter and fainter until they stopped altogether.


	6. Chapter 6

Rant taken away for lack of problems.

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Yugi's mind slowly crawled out of its dreamless rest. Someone was moving his body rapidly back and forth. It was interfering with that wonderful process humans were so fond of. Most call it sleep. Yugi groaned and moved away from the source of his irritation. Faintly he heard an annoyed grunt and the light shaking from before became a little harder.

"Alright! I'm up, I'm up." Yugi yawned and sat up, stretching out his sore and cramped limbs. What had he been thinking sleeping sitting up in that position?

"About time." The deep voice sounded more amused than angry though. Yugi opened his eyes and nearly died of fright when his exact opposite stared back at him. Ki stepped back upon feeling the other's fear race through him.

"I am sorry. Was I too close?" he whispered, remembering their previous conversations and how the boy seemed to dislike Ki touching him. Yugi regained his composure and shook his head.

"I was just startled. It's not everyday I wake up to see an older, taller version of myself," Yugi explained. Ki put a finger to his lips, a wordless order for the boy to speak softer. Yugi nodded and then looked around seeing that it was still for the most part dark and stars continued to shine in the heavens, but faint rays of light filtered down through the hole they had fallen through suggesting daybreak was soon in coming. "What's up?"

"Early this morning someone was walking around our area," Ki said pointing up. "I started to call to them thinking they were your friends, but the aura I sensed coming from the presence was unfriendly in nature. I used the puzzle to conceal us until I was sure they had gone, but just a few minutes ago the footsteps returned, though I can't be sure if it was the same person. Either way, I do not think we're safe in staying put."

Yugi blanched at this new information, wondering exactly how much worse his situation could get.

"What should we do?" he asked softly. Ki held back a smile at that, having in the past taken to liking when the younger man depended on him. Not that Yugi should always depend on someone else to help him in times of trouble...it was just everyone needed someone to look up to, a hero if you will, and Ki liked being that someone.

"I'm afraid we're going to have to try the passages," he said calmly. Surprisingly, Yugi could be just as bold as Ki.

"Sounds good," Yugi nodded. Of course, he wasn't always as dramatic or obvious when doing so. The young man stood up, feeling the slide of cloth falling off his body. Yugi quickly put his hand out and caught the coat before it hit the dirt. He looked from the article of clothing to Ki, realizing the other man must be near freezing, and had been so for most of the night.

"I'm sorry! Here." Yugi handed Ki back his jacket, which the latter accepted gratefully.

"You seem to be feeling better," Ki observed as Yugi walked around without trouble. The boy nodded, smiling, and then brought the puzzle up closer to his face. The beautiful item contained the power to conceal, to heal, to protect, and so much more. It was even a small house in which Ki himself had resided for who knows how long? It was quite the little wonder.

"Maybe someday I'll show you how to use some of the more helpful aspects of the puzzle," Ki said as he watched Yugi study the object. "If you'll allow me that is."

Yugi dropped the item, feeling faintly the heavy weight settle back onto his chest. Oh. Right. He was supposed to be furious with Ki. It was so hard to remember that this was the man that had risked someone's life to win a mere game. To Yugi, Ki was gentle, caring, compassionate, protective...in short, he was the proverbial big brother figure. And yet, Yugi also had to remember Ki was a spirit from the Millennium Puzzle with no memory of his past, a spirit who contained most qualities Yugi did not and failed in most traits Yugi excelled in, and therefore innocence may not be his top priority. Taking also into consideration the Seto Kabia incident as well as Bakura's ordeal, Ki's intentions did not look promising.

"Maybe," Yugi replied softly, though Ki easily understood that was a clear no. The spirit sighed softly.

"Which path do you wish to take, little one?" he asked, indicating towards the shadowed areas beyond their little cavern. Yugi shivered looking upon them.

"Well, one's just as good as the other," he thought out loud, then pointed to the middle path. Ki nodded and gestured that Yugi should take the lead. The boy gave him the fish-eye before proceeding.

"This is not going to be fun," Ki mumbled, pinching the bridge of his nose as he followed his charge into the depths of the unknown.


	7. Chapter 7

I love anime because there are just some characters that wouldn't work as well in any other type of enviroment. Ya'll see what I mean... Anywho, not much to say. The chapter is pretty much self-explanitory.

About the only thing I want to add in is that I always give purpose when I make up names either for surviving characters that need new names or my OCs. For example, Ki means spirit. Yugi's name is very much understood. Samson's name is ironic because translated (not in Japanese, but from it's origins which are Hebrew/Old English) it means Bright as the Sun in Daytime.

I hope ya'll enjoy this chapter.

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"Bakura" circled the hole for the second time that night. Like the last time, as he had been nearing it, the pointers on the rings fell flat against his chest, losing the signal completely.

_The Spirit of the Puzzle must be trying to conceal himself..._ the he mused. A good plan, except the fact that the pulse of energy from the puzzle was lost every time he tried to go near this particular drop was a signal in itself. The Pharaoh was holding a double edge sword.

Smiling at the thought, the white haired spirit walked away, and then turned around and snuck back as quietly as he could. Seeing how the man had been a former thief, one can understand why Ki didn't hear him this time around as he slithered on his stomach towards the edge of the pit and then lay next to it, completely still.

"You seem to be feeling better." He bit back a growl when he heard the other spirit's voice. Memories of their duel flashed across his mind. How he would love to see that man scream in pain...

"Bakura" sighed. No...revenge was for weak-minded fools. It clouded one's goals and on more than one occasion would make them lose all they had worked for. He was going to gain his items, and then he could worry about these petty things.

"Which path do you wish to take, little one?" Path? he thought. Hmmm... Tunnels contained more areas to hide, but they also had less space to move about in. _Good thing I know how to think on my feet. _

"Well, one's just as good as the other." Foolish boy. Why couldn't he just pick one? Now the thief would have to chance them seeing him. He waited a few moments and then looked down just in time to see two distinctive spiky haired boys travel down the middle area. The Spirit of the Puzzle seemed too wrapped up in his own thoughts to notice the person perched above him. A grin crossed the sadistic one's face.

_Not paying attention to our surroundings are we? It's going to cost you,_ he thought.

_Spirit?_ a soft voice spoke into his mind. The thief growled before thinking about the fact he should be quiet, but the other pair was already out of sight.

_Make it quick_.

_Please...you don't have to hurt Yugi,_ the soft voice said. The spirit mentally chuckled.

_You are too naive for your own good, child. Now hush before I lock you away for good. Don't you want to watch my victory? _

He received no answer this time. Giving Yugi and Ki a few minutes to go deep into the tunnel, the spirit jumped down into the hole; years of training allowed him to land easily from such great heights. Using his ring, he began to follow.

--------------------

"Ki, I can't see a thing!" Yugi complained as he stumbled over a rather large rock. Ki helped steady the boy, frowning slightly. For some reason, he could see just fine.

"Here," Ki said, closing his eyes and humming. The Millennium Puzzle glowed faintly, giving off enough light to see around them. Yugi smiled.

"Thank you."

"Yes, thank you!"

Yugi gasped, and suddenly felt his world spinning as he was pushed back. When he finally stopped, he realized Ki had been the one to shove him, throwing the younger boy rather roughly behind him in order to get between his charge and whatever it was that had just spoken. Yugi blinked up at the spirit for a moment before he attention was diverted by a rather insane laugh.

"I found him, I found him, I found him!" The chanting being stepped into the light of the puzzle, fully revealing itself to be a lanky man slightly shorter than Ki. Everything from his pale skin to his tattered pants and sleeveless shirt was a rich, soil color due the layers of fine dust and dark mud that covered him from head to toe. His short, spiked hair gave him an appearance of pure insanity...one that was reinforced by looking into his eyes. At the moment, that was near impossible because one hand was covering his eyes while the other waved around frantically.

"Ah! Light! Get it away!" He stumbled around a bit before running into a wall and falling over from the impact. Ki looked sideways at Yugi who had come to stand beside him. The other boy shrugged before going over to help the man up.

"Here, the light won't..." Yugi yelped as the figure reanimated and sat up quickly with a slight groan. Ki once again placed himself between the two, glowering down at the strange thing at his feet.

"Now why did you have to do that, Fred?" the man asked the wall. Apparently the wall gave a satisfactory answer, because the man laughed and patted it. "Awww...how can I stay mad when you go and do that?"

"Excuse me...sir." The man twirled around as Ki spoke. "Who are you?"

"Samson Delbert at your service!" He stood and took a clumsy bow. Yugi stifled a giggle. "And you're Yugi Motou!" Samson cried happily, pointing at both men. Then he frowned and scratched his head. "Erm...wait a minute..."

"I'm Yugi," Ki said, placing a hand against Yugi's mouth when, as he suspected, the boy started to protest. A quick look from Ki kept Yugi from further struggle. It was obvious that on this island Yugi wasn't safe...his name and appearance were well known. Better for Ki to assume the wanted identity. "This is my little brother...Tiny Tim."

Yugi's glare outrivaled anything Ki had seen Kabia or the Spirit of the Ring pull off. The spirit blushed a little, thankful Yugi had thought of his name before this incident. Who knew what Ki might've been called otherwise.

Samson was unfazed.

"Nice to meet you Tim!" he grinned, jumping forward and clasping the younger boy's hands, shaking so roughly Yugi was pulled on and off the ground. Ki effectively separated them by pushing his puzzle right into Samson's face.

"Ahhhhhhhh! No! Mean Yugi! No wonder Master Winged Horse Man wants to get rid of you!" Samson cried from a dark shadow of the tunnel, rubbing his eyes hard.

"You work for Pegasus?" Yugi asked incredulously. How many of these people did they have to meet? He only hoped that Samson wouldn't...

"I challenge you to a duel!" Samson cried out, jumping up and pointing at Ki. Yugi groaned. Ki grabbed his arm and started to pull them back down the tunnel, pushing Samson roughly as they passed the insane man who was still pointing at the spot where they had been. He didn't flinch.

"I await your answer!" Samson blinked a full two minutes before realizing the pair was no longer in front of him.

"HEY!!!!!!!!!!!" he yelled, spinning around and rushing down the tunnel at top speed. "Wait for meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!"


	8. Chapter 8

Alrighty, thanks for all the reviews. For those of you still wondering why Yami's name is Ki, it's because I stuck my foot too far in my mouth to get it out. In the Japanese version of Yugioh both anime and manga, Yami is simply called "The Other Yugi" (Anyone that knows about him) or "The Other Me/My Other Self" (Yugi). I'm sure plenty of you know the Japanese phrases because they've only been used in five hundred fictions, so I won't type them. Ok, I know the people who translate the show for the silly little English users such as myself work hard at getting the words done not only correctly, but in a well enough fashion that it fits the movements of the character's mouths as well as time slots (apparently they don't have as many commercials in some countries or something...) and still make the plot work, but I still don't understand some of the stuff they apparently felt they had to change...

Calling Yami Ki instead of Yami is my stupid little way of rebelling against this stereotypical name that's been thrown into the dub (and remember, when I started this, I wasn't going to use Yami because the dub hadn't officially made that his name) and basically all the dubs mistakes.

Anyway, enough explaination and rambling...on withh the fiction!

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"Duel me?"

"No."

"Why?"

"Because I have more important things to do."

"Like what?"

"I need to find a way out of this place."

"Why?"

"Because I'm trying to get back to my friends."

"Why?"

"So we can figure a way out of this situation."

"Why?"

"Because I don't like the situation we're in."

"Why?"

Ki spun around and glared at Samson.

"If you ask that question one more time, I swear I'll bring forth my Curse of Dragon to incinerate you where you stand," he threatened.

Samson sat down and blinked up at Ki, looking oblivious as to why he was getting yelled at by the taller man. Ki growled low in his throat...usually such a glare would have the target shaking and the way his voice had lowered and dripped with venom would cause their pants to become uncomfortably wet. Yugi himself was shifting uncomfortably despite the fact he knew Ki's threats weren't real...at least he didn't think they were.

Ki glared for a few more seconds at Samson before whirling around and stalking off down the tunnel, Yugi following closely behind. They got about three feet before Ki felt a tap on his shoulder. He closed his eyes, tightened his hands into fists until the knuckles turned white, and clenched his jaw. His whole body vibrated with anger and annoyance, and Yugi pressed himself against the far wall.

"Yes?" Ki growled out.

"You look stressed. Why?"

Yugi's eyes darted around, looking for where the dragon would appear, but he instead got a surprise as Ki's whole body just melted out of it's tightened posture and the older boy sank to the floor, putting his hands over his face while his head shook vigorously back and forth. A wave of helplessness passed through Yugi from their bond, and he felt sorry for his other. Samson looked down at Ki for a few moments before breaking into a smile and patting the spirit's back.

"See! Relaxing's always good for you!"

Yugi decided now would be a good time to intervene since he could feel Ki's anger rising again.

"Samson, I noticed a pretty, green rock a couple of feet back there..." Yugi pointed in the direction he was speaking of. "Why don't you see if you can't get it for me? I'd be very happy."

Samson stood straight and saluted.

"Aye, aye, captain!" he shouted before running off. Yugi watched him go before bending down and resting a hand on Ki's shoulder. There was a mumble from his companion.

"Excuse me?" Yugi asked.

"I said, it's impossible to use Mind Crush when there's no mind to crush." Ki looked up at Yugi, a wry smile tugging at the corners of his mouth from the joke. Yugi smiled back reassuringly.

"He'll probably leave us alone once we find an exit, considering he doesn't like light and all that," Yugi said.

"All the more reason to get out of this hole."

--------------

"Pretty rock, pretty rock, oh how I love me pretty rocks!" Samson sang as he skipped down the tunnel, looking for the blue rock. No wait, Tim had said red, right? Or was it yellow?

A hand suddenly clamped over Samson's mouth, and he was pulled into an alcove. He was released and spun around to find a white haired boy leaning against the wall. Samson jumped up and down happily.

"Another friend! Oh, we're so lucky today, aren't we Fred?!" he asked the wall. The spirit rolled his eyes before pushing off of the wall and walking over to Samson.

"Listen, you over-grown mud pile. I am not anyone's fri-OW!" The Spirit of the Ring yelped as his hair was roughly pulled. Samson pulled the white strands closer to him, rubbing his cheek against them.

"Pretty!" Samson exclaimed, grabbing more. The spirit roughly twisted away, glaring murderously at the filth before him. Samson smiled back, and reached for more hair. "Bakura" grabbed his wrist and twisted his hand painfully before releasing it. Samson backed away and held his wrist like a wounded animal, even letting out a whimper. The spirit smirked and raised his hand as if to strike the man before him, and the smile grew as Samson cringed away. If only "Yugi" (the man snorted at the spirit's tact) had known a little force would keep the insane idiot quiet.

"Good. It seems you know who is the master here," he said to the whimpering man. Samson pouted.

"You're even meaner than Yugi!" Samson accused.

"Yes, I suppose so." The Spirit of the Ring smiled a little gentler this time. "You work for Pegasus. I assume you want to please him?"

"Oh yes. Master Winged Horse Man is very nice to Samson and his friends!" Samson nodded vigorously as he said this.

"Ah. So then you want to beat Yugi in a duel so your master will reward you?" The spirit already knew the answers to these questions, but he needed to go slowly for this half-wit in front of him. Samson could be very useful.

"Yes, yes!" Samson was brightening up again. But the smile soon changed to a frown. "But...but Mr. Mean Yugi Man won't duel with me."

"Yes, I know that," the spirit said.

"You're very smart! Does your white hair give you special abilities?" Samson looked a little fearful. "If it does, can I have some?!" "Bakura" closed his eyes and slowly counted to ten. Despite what others might have believed, the white haired spirit could keep his temper.

"Do you want help in getting Yugi to duel you?" he asked once cooled down. Samson nodded again. Except this time his head didn't stop until the spirit grabbed his chin and stopped it himself. "Ok, then just listen to me."

------------------

"Samson's been gone an awfully long time," Yugi said to Ki. The younger of the two had been looking behind him worriedly every five seconds for the past three minutes. Yugi was always concerned for everyone, even slight crazed men that worked for equally insane bosses. That and Samson hadn't been bugging him when they were together.

Ki on the other hand...

"Good," he grunted, trudging forward.

"Ki, that's not very nice," Yugi scolded. Ki rolled his eyes at the smaller.

"And if he knew you were really Yugi and constantly bugged you, I'm sure you would still be just as concerned as you are right now." Ki raised an eyebrow, and Yugi didn't confirm nor deny his statement.

"YUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!"

Both spiky haired boys winced, then looked at each other. Ki was silently pleading with Yugi, and the boy took some pity on the ancient spirit. They both started sprinting as fast as they could in the opposite direction of the voice. They got a good thirty feet before Ki found himself sprawled on the ground, an excited Samson straddling his back.

"I found it, Tim!" Samson opened his hand to show Yugi a rather large dirt clod. Yugi bit down hard on his lip...to keep for laughing or groaning, he wasn't sure. Nodding to Samson (he dare not speak), he took the clod from him. Ki was cradling his chin in one hand while the other hand's fingers were drumming the ground impatiently.

"Oh, good afternoon Yugi!" Samson said, peering down at the body under him. "You look a little dusty."

"Samson. Get. Off. Me." Samson blinked, then rolled off Ki. Yugi helped his other up, and Ki dusted his front off. Samson jumped back in front of the two and pointed at Ki.

"Now, you will duel me!" he crowed. Ki rolled his eyes.

"I already told you..." he began.

"Samson knows the way out of the tunnels," the insane one interrupted. This stopped Ki's protest and made Yugi pay more attention to what he had to say rather than if Ki would kill him or not.

"And so you've let us wander around for hours with your _wonderful_ company," Ki gritted out, "instead of helping us out?"

"Samson," Yugi said more calmly, "can you please tell us how to get out of here?" Samson shook his head.

"Uh-uh. Yugi's gots to duel me first. If Yugi wins, Samson shows you both the way out. If Yugi loses, then Samson will show Tim the way out and gets Yugi for his pet!" Samson jumped at Ki and started to pat his hair. The spirit jerked away. "Oh, and Samson also has starchips!" The insane one pulled a handful of chips out of his pocket. Ki looked over his gauntlet at the five remaining chips he had. He needed five more. And he needed to get out of this tunnel. And he needed to get away from Samson.

"I agree to your terms," he said. Samson jumped around happily. The white haired one had been right! Yugi tugged on the older boy's jacket.

"Um, _Yugi_, about the starchips..." Yugi began. Ki waved him off.

"Don't worry Tim. I'll win this for sure and then we can get back your Grandfather," he said. This was not only Ki's chance to get back to the others, but it was also his chance to begin making up to Yugi. Helping the boy win back his Grandfather's soul would help his image in the boy's eyes. He needed Yugi to believe in him again.

"Yeah, but _Yugi_..." Yugi tried again.

"Follow me to the arena then!" Samson chirped, bounding off down a side tunnel. Ki grabbed Yugi's hand to make sure the boy was keeping up and took off after. Yugi sighed, shaking his head. Ki wasn't listening to him...again! The spirit obviously thought his intentions were good, but his over-confidence and apparent distrust of Yugi's advice...Yugi had this foreboding sense that Ki was only rushing them into trouble again.


	9. Chapter 9

Alright, we're getting into the actual storyline here...yeah!!! The Spirit of the Ring's plan should become more apparent now, although it still might not be what you expect...or it might be. shrugs

Anywho, I hope no one's _too_ dissapointed that I didn't get into the duel and go play by play. Frankly, the dueling is one of the most tedious part of the entire show when it comes to Yu-Gi-Oh in my honest opinion. It's everything that happens before, after, and between the dueling that interests me (or in really good episodes, it can be the words exchanged during a duel. Nothing worthwhile is really going to be said in a duel between Samson and Ki.) So if you were expecting some big thing with cards and LPs and whatnot...sorry.

Finally, the third thing, is that I think someone pointed out spelling mistakes. Firstly, if you see them, tell me which ones they are so I can fix them, because otherwise I probably won't find them myself (I do check my fictions, so if I didn't find them the first few times, I probably won't the next few). Oh, and if the mistakes are in a sentence Samson says or thinks, then that's intentional. Samson doesn't always speak correctly as you could imagine.

On with the fiction!

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"Too...fast..." Yugi could barely get the words out; he was concentrating too hard on breathing. Ki was slowing down as well; those annoyances that came with having an actual body of his own were catching up with him. The spirit suddenly yelped and grabbed his side, stopping and leaning against the tunnel wall. Yugi stopped as well, secretly glad for the break, and walked over to the suffering man.

"I'm not dying, am I?" Ki asked as the other boy came into his line of sight. Yugi would have laughed had he the breath to do so. Instead he just shook his head, much to his other's relief.

"You've never gotten a cramp before?" Yugi finally asked when he was able.

"I think so. It's just been so long since..." Ki trailed off, his eyes getting a little glazed over as he tried to remember. He then shook his head and smiled up at the boy. "But that's the past. I'm with you now."

Yugi's eyes widened just a little, but before more could be discussed, Samson trotted over to the two.

"Hurry up!" he whined. "You're not backing out on me now are you??"

"Sorry, I just seem to be a little out of shape," Ki said, standing back up. "Are you ready, Tim?"

Yugi nodded, and the trio headed further into the darkness.

--------------

The Spirit of the Ring winced as the other man fell back with a cramp. He could sympathize with that. His host was not in the best of shape either. Just before they went out of sight, Samson turned back and made a victory sign. The white-haired one closed his eyes and sighed.

Fools. He hated working with them, but buffoons like Samson were needed in times like this to attain his goals. At least the idiot was smart enough to do as he had been told. The spirit looked down, following the markings in the dust under his feet so not to lose his prey.

------------------

Yugi was running so fast that he almost smashed into Samson's back. He heard Ki screech to a stop a few seconds behind him. Or rather, he coughed as the dust flew up around him. Ki apologized, and then tried peering through the darkness to see why the troupe had stopped. He gasped, and Yugi looked up to see awe on his face.

"What is it?" he asked. Unfortunately for Yugi, the Puzzle only lit the immediate area around himself or Ki, and he couldn't see what was before him.

"Close your eyes!" Samson warned as he pressed a button in the wall. Light flooded the area. Both Ki and Yugi protested, and the bright lights dimmed considerably. When the two were able to pry their arms from their faces, Ki smiled at the view while Yugi held the same awe Ki had before.

Ok, yeah, Yugi had seen dueling platforms before, and the one in the middle of this cavern wasn't anything terribly new. But oh my, the cavern itself was a sight to behold. It was completely natural; the platform the only man-made object to mar nature's beauty. Stalagmites littered the area around them, forming almost an unbreakable picket fence of rock, while stalactites hung from the ceiling in all shapes and sizes forming a grotesque but inspiring chandelier. The walls themselves were made of all colors of minerals and dust that swirled and formed layers upon layers that told of times long ago. A trickle of water could be heard somewhere in the distance, adding an almost musical effect to the overall appearance. A hauntingly beautiful work of art, Yugi could see now why Samson loved the underground world.

Samson grinned, and Yugi noticed he now sported a pair of heavy-duty sunglasses to bear the light. The insane one jumped onto the rightmost platform and danced around on the sidebars as it carried him up. Ki sighed, and then walked calmly over to the other platform. Before he stepped on it, though, he heard Yugi calling out to him. He turned to see the younger boy rushing over, holding something out to him.

"Here," Yugi said, stopping in front of Ki. Ki looked down and saw the boy was holding a deck of Duel Monster's cards. Ki looked quizzically at Yugi. Yugi smiled at the puzzlement. "It's the other half of the deck."

Ki's eyes widened, and he pulled out his deck. Sure enough, there were only twenty cards. Sighing, then smiling, he turned to Yugi and took the remaining cards. Had he gone up there with only half his deck, he would have been disqualified automatically.

"I thought it felt a little light," he said before stepping back onto the platform. Yugi then walked to the side of the arena to watch the events as they would unfold.

"Samson," Ki began as he placed his deck down, "you will keep your end of the deal, right?"

"Deal?" Samson asked. Ki slammed his palm to his forehead.

"The one where you agree to lead us out of these caverns if I win," he reminded the insane one. Samson brightened up.

"And Yugi gets to be my pet if Samson wins!" he crowed. Both Yugi and Ki were very puzzled by why Samson had ever wanted this, but both had confidence in Ki's abilities to win.

The duel started off well enough. The field was, of course, a Wasteland, and Samson's Rock and Dinosaur type monsters started off with the advantage. But because caves were generally dark, and the lighting was dim to help Samson out even with his glasses, the field also had a bonus for Spellcaster's and Fiend's. Ki was patiently waiting for his Dark Magician to show up while Samson placed another monster facedown in defense. Despite his apparent insanity, Samson had credible dueling skills. Ki had expected this (why would Pegasus hire him otherwise) and was doing a fair job as always, in the lead by five hundred points.

Yugi smiled as he saw the familiar glint in Ki's eyes and felt a warm rush course through him. It was obvious the card he had drawn. This duel would be over soon enough.

Yugi didn't have much else to think about as a hand closed over his mouth and an arm wrapped around his waist. He was pulled against his captor and silently dragged off into the dark.

Ki was about to play his favorite card when he felt fear spike through him. It wasn't his own; he could sense that. Shaken out of the mental state his mind usually went to when dueling, Ki looked towards the area where Yugi had been standing just a moment before. He wasn't there. Ki began to panic.

"Yugi?!" he called out. Samson cocked his head, puzzled at the other man. "YUGI?!"

"Why are you calling to yourself?" Samson asked. Ki ignored him for the time being. Yugi wasn't there, and his presence was growing fainter; he could feel the fear dying down, but not because Yugi was becoming calmer. In fact, Yugi was even more scared than before; he was just moving quickly away from the spirit, causing his signal to grow weaker. Ki made to jump down when Samson cried out at him.

"If you leave the platform, I automatically win!" he said. Ki ignored him at first, then stopped halfway off. The spirit didn't care about losing not only their way out of the tunnels and apparently his freedom along with this duel. His dignity did not matter in comparison with Yugi's life.

But Ki had bet all five starchips on this duel. That meant if he left right now, he'd lose them. He and Yugi would be kicked off the island, and Yugi would never get his grandfather's soul back.

"Argh!!!" Ki yelled, hitting the board in front of him. Why was he being forced to make this choice? He could feel Yugi fading fast. The decision had to be quick. The boy's grandfather's soul and his trust...or the boy's life.

"I win!!!" Samson danced around as Ki grabbed his deck and jumped off the platform, taking off in the direction he had sensed Yugi's presence. It didn't matter if Grandfather's soul was restored if Yugi wasn't there to comfort the elderly man. It would be what the older Mutou would want. So Ki gritted his teeth and pushed on as fast as he could. He only hoped he could make it there in time.


	10. Chapter 10

Sigh Sorry I'm taking so long, but hurray! Guess whose finally finished with finals?! Me, that's who! falls back My brain's pretty much toast, though, so I've been struggling a bit with this chapter.

Um...I don't think there's anything terribly special you need to know about this chapter...just enjoy it!

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Yugi struggled against the firm grip, his shrieks and cries for help muffled by the hand that covered his mouth. He used his fingernails to claw at the arm around his waist, grunting in satisfaction as he heard a sharp intake of breath as he dug deep enough to draw blood. The arm around the slim waist tightened as Yugi's captor's hand released from his mouth to grip his hands instead. Yugi tried screaming again, but the arm was so tight. He was barely just getting air into his lungs. The edges of his vision were starting to grow black.

"You're not going to pass out on me just yet, little runt," a familiar voice growled. "You don't give off as strong a signal when your unconscious."

Yugi felt the grip lessen and took a deep breath. He groaned as pain shot through his head from the sudden rush of oxygen. The jolting from the running of his captor wasn't helping either.

Suddenly he was thrown against a wall, landing in a rather crumpled heap amidst the dust of the floor. The instinct to survive took over, and despite his pain, Yugi quickly scrambled up to face the other person. His eyes went wide.

"Bakura?!"

--------------------

The Spirit of the Ring smiled at the runt's exclamation as he pulled out his Millennium Item and watched the pointers split into two directions. One signal was very strong; four of the metal points were aimed at Yugi. One other point was glowing faintly back down the tunnel he had just come through. But that signal was getting stronger.

"Yes and no," the spirit said, keeping one eye on the boy to make sure he didn't try escaping and the other on the growing presence. He smiled, noticing how quickly the guardian was rushing to his charge. Either he had finished the duel quickly, or he had surrendered on the boy's behalf. The former point would be truer of himself, but this was the noble spirit that had declared that "his friends were never a waste of time." "Bakura" sneered. Ki's foolish bravery and devotion would be his undoing.

"You're the Spirit from the Ring!" Yugi said. "But...but I banished you!"

The spirit narrowed his eyes, rage flaring up deep within him. Yugi pressed himself farther into the wall. The other let the glare last a little longer.

"You'd do best to be silent from now on," he hissed, his attention drawn back to the ring. The signal was strong enough now that Ki wouldn't need to home in on the puzzle around the brat's neck. The spirit turned around and smiled cruelly. Yugi did his best to look unafraid. The little duelist lost his nerve when the stronger man walked over and picked him up by his collar.

"Let go of me!" Yugi yelled, kicking at his friend's body. The spirit snorted and grabbed the Millennium Item around Yugi's neck. The smaller of the two's eyes went wide, and he clasped his own hands over the slender, white fingers. He dared to glare at the spirit.

"Never," Yugi hissed. The Spirit of the Ring was a bit shocked and amused at the boy's determination. But determination wasn't going to win this battle. Yugi found his hands pried away with little effort, and the leather cord easily snapped as the spirit jerked the puzzle back hard. Yugi fell to the ground as he was released, biting down hard on his lip to keep from crying out anymore.

Ki's presence had never felt fainter than it did now. It scared Yugi more than he ever imagined it would. He was so used to the spirit's emotions and thoughts nestled in the back of his mind like a second conscious that sudden disappearance of it was heartbreaking.

-----------------

Ki clutched at his chest as he felt his still beating heart being ripped away. He gripped the side of the walls as the pain overwhelmed him, then slowly faded. Growling, the spirit continued down the path. He could no longer sense his counterpart, making the going only tougher. He was completely blind.

"Yugi!" Ki cried out, hoping the boy might respond. He needed a clue, any clue. The puzzle had obviously been taken from his companion, which only made Ki's chest tighten in fear. "Yugi!"

-----------------

Yugi looked up as he heard Ki's voice. It was near, almost teasing him with its proximity. He started to open his mouth, then looked up at the spirit hovering around him. His captor smiled and nodded.

"Please call out to him. It," he said, holding up Yugi's puzzle, "doesn't work so well if half the power is missing."

Yugi shut his mouth and narrowed his eyes. If Bakura's dark spirit wanted Ki, he wasn't going to get any help from Yugi. The spirit raised a slender brow and smiled.

"We don't want to corporate?" He made a tsking noise with his tongue. "What a bad little boy you are. Do you know what happens to bad little boys?" There was a glint in the spirit's eyes as he approached Yugi.

----------------------

Ki felt an explosion of fear before he heard the scream.

"Yugi!" he cried, running in the direction of the echoing wail.


	11. Chapter 11

Hehe...the juices have been flowing! I hope ya'll enjoy this chapter. Any questions or comments, just send 'em to me and I'll try replying back. Hmmmmmmmmm...nothing new yet again. Just enjoy!

---------------------

Samson hummed as he tossed the five starchips up and down, pulling out a rather small cell phone. All Eliminators had been instructed to call Pegasus if they ever met Yugi Mutou on the dueling platform and inform them of the proceedings.

Well, actually, the Eliminators were supposed to keep the phones on so their employer could reach them. It was assumed that Pegasus had been watching the duel from the many cameras he had placed throughout his kingdom. But the loud beeping sounds the phone made when it rang annoyed Samson, so he never followed the rule.

Samsom fell back off the platform as a shrill ring cut through the air the minute he turned the power on. He growled and rubbed his behind, crawling over to the offending object. Samson frowned, forgetting how to answer, and then just started to smash the phone with his fist. He figured that if he didn't hit the right button, at least he'd make that racket stop.

"Samson!" Pegasus' voice barked out through the speaker portion. Samson blinked, smiled, then bent over the ruined pile of what had once been a wonderful piece of technology.

"I did what you wanted, Master Winged Horse Man!" Samson chirped back happily while holding out five starchips, knowing Pegasus could see them through the camera.

------------------------

Back in his cozy room with his fruit juicei and comics, Pegasus tried his hardest to stay calm. He let out an exasperated sigh, thinking about how to say what he wanted to say so Samson would understand and it wouldn't take more time than needed. Time wasn't exactly on his side at the moment.

"The man you dueled," Pegasus spoke in that loud and slow tone that people seem to think makes them more understandable to foreign or challenged people, "was not Yugi Motou. Yugi Motou was the little boy with him. If you would have kept your phone on, I could have told you that earlier."

He watched on as Samson blinked at the phone, then at the direction Ki had run off too.

"He..." Samson's lip trembled and tears started to form in his eyes, "Tim wasn't Tim? But I was so nice too..."

"That doesn't matter right now, my boy," Pegasus continued in his same tone, only slightly more comforting. "Right now I need you to go get the _real_ Yugi back so you can duel him. Ok?"

Samson wiped away the tears and stood up straight, saluting.

"Aye aye!" With that he dashed off, leaving a worried Pegasus. He would have sent some extra guards to help out, but Samson was the only one who knew the tunnels well enough not to get completely lost.

Pegasus sighed. He knew about the Yugi/Ki saga from the moment it had taken place. His cameras and satellites helped with that. It was like watching a fantastic soap opera; the best daytime TV he had ever seen since _Funny Bunny_ had been cancelled. But he had started to get worried when mysterious flashes of white had been following the two stars of the program. Try as hard as they could, the cameras couldn't catch who or whatever it was that had been trailing Yugi and Ki all this time.

Pegasus watched as Samson scrambled down the tunnels, following the trails made by Ki and Yugi's captor. Soon he would be out of the camera's range and down into the deep tunnels that hadn't been wired yet. After that, all Pegasus could do was wait.

Sighing again, the creator of Duel Monsters twirled a card in his fingers. Hopefully Ki and Samson could get Yugi out safely; he had come too close to his goal to let the boy just die on him now.

"And we wouldn't want his Grandfather to get lonely without him, now would we, Kaiba-boy?" Pegasus asked the card as Samson slowly faded from his view.

-------------------------

"Yugi!" Ki cried out as he saw the boy huddled against a wall. He was cradling an arm against his chest like a wounded animal. Upon hearing his name, Yugi looked up with frightened eyes.

"Ki, don't co..." He was cut off as the shadows themselves seemed to hoist him into the air and suspend him in darkness. Yugi cried out as his arm (which Ki could safely assume was broken) was jerked by the movement.

"Let him go now!" Ki demanded of whatever it was that was holding his companion hostage. There was a chuckle, and the shadows fledge in fear from the person they previously concealed. Ki's eyes narrowed.

"You..." he hissed. The Spirit of the Ring laughed softly.

"Miss me?" the spirit asked. Ki growled low in his throat and took a menacing step forward. The spirit in turn grabbed Yugi's good arm and twisted it. Yugi yelped and Ki stopped in his tracks.

"If you were to run as fast as you could, I would still have time to break both legs, this arm, and his neck before you laid a finger on me," the spirit taunted. "Now back away like a good puppy."

Ki did as he was told, silently promising Yugi that he would make sure the boy got out of this safely.

"You want this, don't you?" Ki said, holding up the puzzle around his neck. "Considering I'm almost completely blocked from Yugi, you must have the other half. But knowing a thief such as yourself, you can't stand to only have half the power."

"Aren't we the teacher's pet?" the spirit purred, twisting Yugi's arm a little harder, disappointed when the runt held in his screams this time. Still, it was amusing to see Ki's hand clench like that. "Toss it over, and the runt goes free."

"Fine," Ki said, taking off the puzzle. It didn't hurt as much as he thought it would, the pain only making him dizzy to the point of falling to his knees. He was sure Yugi was telling him to stop and not worry about his safety, but Ki felt he had no other purpose than to protect the child he had the blessing to call his other half. If Yugi died, Ki would be lost. He couldn't allow that to happen; the rest of the world may suffer, but he didn't care so long as his little light still shone amidst the darkened ruins.

When the darkness finally ceased from his vision, Ki found that the puzzle was gone from his grasp. Looking around frantically, he was relieved to find Yugi was clutching his shoulder and shaking him desperately. Ki winced. The damage from taking off the puzzle must have been worse than he thought to not have felt his charge so close.

"Thank you very much," the Spirit of the Ring said, smirking down at the glaring man. "Don't worry, I'll put the Millennium Puzzle to much better use than you ever would have." He tossed Ki's half of the puzzle in the air playfully.

It never came back down.

"Pretty!" Samson cried, turning the puzzle around in his hands. "It's much better without light coming from it!"

"Give that back!" the spirit yelled, running after Samson. The insane one jumped around and bounded out of the white haired one's grasp.

"No! Mean White Hair Man kidnapped Samson's friends! Samson doesn't like you anymore," Samson said, blowing a raspberry the spirit's way.

"I'm warning you," the spirit said, a dangerously low tone to his voice, while keeping an eye on the other two occupants of the cave to make sure they didn't intervene. Samson made faces at him in response.

"Fine. We'll play that way then." The Millennium Ring began glowing. Yugi's eyes widened as he realized what the spirit was planning to do.

"Samson! Run!" he yelled. Unfortunately, Samson was too busy cringing away from the light. He wasn't going to move from his position any time soon. Yugi couldn't do anything except to watch as the light emitting from the Millennium Ring narrowed into a beam and shot straight towards his friend.

i Hey, I have a footnote! Hehehehe...well basically I put that in there because I find it so corny in the show that they would make it up. Just my personal humor.


	12. Chapter 12

Man, I really wanted to get to work on this right away, but after I wrote the first draft, I didn't like it, and the second draft wasn't going heading the right way either, and then I've had tests and...sigh Anywho, I hope ya'll like how it turned out, because I believe I finally got the thing right! Woo-hoo!

Alright, time for some Q&A.

_Lady Wolf Moon_ said that Yami's favorite card was The Magician of Black Chaos. Ah, I'm very sorry that I got that wrong, but I'd like to see the source from where this information came from. As far as I've been able to tell from the series, the Black Magician is both Yami and Yugi's favorite card. I've only seen Black Chaos used once, and Yami liked 'im because Yugi used his "last bit of courage" (did anyone else get extremely tired of hearing that line repeated five times in one episode?) to put it down. I'm not saying you're wrong, I just want some good proof.

_Cyberkat_, thanks for pointing that out and it's being fixed as I post this chapter.

_Sailor Comet_, yeah, I should've explained the whole Ki surviving the loss of the puzzle thingy. Basically the idea is that since Ki is no longer living inside the puzzle (he's got his own body now), he's not dependent on it to survive. Yeah, it hurt like heck for him to have it ripped away because A. The puzzle is the main (but not only) connection between Ki (Yami) and Yugi, B. Ki's been living with the puzzle much longer than Yugi, so he's slightly more attached to the thing, and C. Though he no longer depends on it to survive, Ki's well versed in the puzzle's energy aspects and therefore having his main source of enery taken away is...not too good for him.

Thanks to the rest of you guys for reviewing...without your support, love for Samson, and "Yami Bakura Wins" flags, I couldn't have the inspiration that I have now. ;)

-------------------------------------

Samson was curled against a wall, trying to shield his eyes from the bright light. He didn't see the inevitable danger. Yugi watched on, too horrified to cry out another warning.

Just before the beam hit him, Samson suddenly disappeared from Yugi's vision. He blinked a few times, staring at the place where Samson should be. Unfortunately, no more light was present to help Yugi out, and to make things even worse, spots from the light beam danced in his vision.

"Samson? Ki?" he called out shakily. "Samson? Ki? Bakura?! Anybody?!"

Something grabbed him. Yugi jumped, but bit on his lip to keep from yelping. If it was the Spirit of the Ring, he didn't want the man knowing he had caught him.

"Yugi?" Yugi breathed a sigh of relief at Samson's voice.

"Samson, what happened?" he asked, keeping his voice to a low whisper.

"I dunno." Though Yugi couldn't see it, he knew the other was shrugging. "Suddenly I was over there, then something big hit me, and I saw you looking scared, so I came over here."

"Arrrrrgggghhhhhhh!" Yugi shrank back as he heard a yell. It was the Spirit of the Ring. " I didn't need you to die yet! Wake up!"

Die? Yugi thought. Then there was a thump of shoe hitting flesh, and a soft moan. Yugi's heart literally stopped.

"Ki!" he yelled, running towards the sound. Halfway there he tripped and fell, whimpering in pain as he landed on his injured arm. Someone helped him up, and a light came on. Samson stumbled away, dropping the flashlight.

"Don't know why Mr. Winged Horse Man gave me that. Too bright," he muttered, picking it up and putting it in Yugi's good hand. The light trembled in the boy's shaking hand as he swung it around the cavern. The pale beam illuminated a horrific sight.

Ki...fallen...blood...not breathing...motionless... Thousands of words, thoughts, memories, and emotions ran through Yugi's body until he thought he would pass out from the overload. One event was keeping him in the real world. One person who was now illuminated by the soft beam.

Ki's body was still except for the horrid jerks from the force of the kicks being delivered to his midsection . The attacker stopped and turned his white head to look at Yugi. The dull light from the flashlight glinted off those cold eyes, making them gleam like fire. Eyes that were full of cruelty, determination, and...fear?

"He got in the way, all right?!" the spirit snapped. "It's not my fault! He didn't have to save that...that thing!" he yelled, pointing over Yugi's shoulder at Samson.

Yugi continued to stare at the white haired spirit. The emotions and memories and everything else running through his mind had stopped. He was just empty. The boy wasn't sure why...maybe it was the fact that Ki had left him for good this time. Or it could be the shock. Or perhaps just knowing one of his friends had just killed off half of his soul. The reason didn't matter right now. Only one thought seemed to run through his mind.

Murder! he thought. _Murderer!_ is what the young boy's eyes portrayed to the man in front of him.

"Stop that!" the spirit growled. But Yugi couldn't move. Could barely breathe. This man had...he had...

"I told you to stop!" the spirit screamed. Yugi kept staring, eyes, though starting to glaze over, still revealed the boy's message. _Murderer._ "Don't you listen you little runt?!"

"If you won't stop by yourself, then I'll do it for you," the spirit hissed, rushing the dazed boy with intentions of finishing the half done job.

"No!"

The Spirit of the Ring stopped dead. Yugi reanimated, blinking a few times before his eyes followed the beam of light back to Ki's body. Kneeling next to it was a new person. Another shock of white hair floated against the present darkness, and a pair of angry brown eyes stared at the man in front of Yugi. The thing that shocked Yugi most of all, though, was that the boy in front of him was almost completely transparent, like he was only a projection of the real thing.

"No more..." Bakura whispered softly. He stood and walked over to his other. Yugi watched the scene unfolding steadily, trying to read the spirit's actions. The older man was trembling with rage and glaring at his other half.

"Shut up," he hissed as Bakura approached. The teenager persisted, the former anger replaced by a deeply saddened look. He gently placed his ghostly hands on the ones clutching the two Millennium Puzzles.

"No more killing," Bakura pleaded. "Not with these hands...not with _our_ hands. No more."

They stayed like that for only a moment, but for Yugi every moment those past two days had been an eternity. Then Bakura faded from sight, and the demon closed his eyes, sighing.

"It was _his_ fault, not mine." He reopened the dark orbs, his usual malice once again filled them, and turned his gaze upon Yugi.

"Ki..." he scoffed at the name, shaking his head. "Five thousand years ago, he would not have been so weak as to sacrifice himself for someone like that fool," the spirit's gaze flickered to Samson and then back to Yugi. "To lose such a rival in such a pitiful way is...an annoyance."

And then, he was gone.


	13. Chapter 13

Yeah! Ok, I got a warning for this chapter. EXTREME sappiness ahead. If you're diabetic, I suggest you turn back now...this chapter and the one to come after are all sweetness. ;)

_Lady Wolf Moon_, thanks for pointing that out. winces Don't ask me why, but I pause when I talk to think things over before I say them, and when I write, I pause with commas. So I can and usually do overuse them.

Two more things. Firstly, I want to remind my readers that this whole story takes place before Yugi ever enters Pegasus' castle, so if you think it's strange Yugi doesn't recognize a certain place (you'll know what I'm talking about when you get there), it's because I don't think he's ever truly gone there just yet until later on in the series.

Secondly, I hope that all my readers are mature enough to understand that the phrase "I love you" does **_not have to mean_** "I'm sexually attracted to you."

----------------------------

Yugi stared at the area where the Spirit of the Ring had been, blinking a few times to make sure his eyes weren't playing tricks on him. It occurred to him the spirit may have been hiding in the surrounding darkness, so Yugi swiveled the flashlight around frantically for any sign of pale skin or white hair.

"Where'd Mean White Hair Man go?" Samson asked from behind him, causing the already jittery Yugi to jump.

"You don't see him?" Yugi asked, and Samson confirmed the answer. They were safe at the moment. Yugi then turned his thoughts to finding another person, but for some reason, either because on some subconscious level he didn't want to see the still body or just because of his steak of unluckiness, the light never illuminated his other half.

"Samson," Yugi whispered, so soft he almost went unheard, "can you lead me to Ki? I can't...I can't seem to find him."

"Who's Ki?"

"The...my...he's the one who's dead," the younger finally choked out.

"Who's dead?" Samson asked, still confused at the distraught boy before him. Why was he trembling so hard?

"Ki is!" Yugi shouted, twirling around so the soft beam landed on Samson. Or, somewhat landed on Samson. By this time, the boy was shaking so hard, tears running down his face, that the flashlight wouldn't stay in one place for very long.

"Who's Ki?!" Samson shouted. Frustrated with his inability to answer the simple question or steady his hand, Yugi threw the flashlight to the floor if nothing else except for the need to do something. There was a sharp crack and the light went out.

Suddenly plunged into darkness, Yugi realized that hadn't been the brightest thing to do. Overwhelmed with confusion and pain, he felt his legs give out to leave him landing hard on his butt, cradling his broken arm as his equally broken sobs filled the cavern.

_You're eyes deceive you too easily, little one._ Yugi's head snapped up, and he peered frantically into the darkness around him. _You should trust your heart. Did you ever feel me actually leave you? _

"K...Ki?" he whispered. "Where are you?"

_I think to your right. I'm not sure; the pain became intolerable, and I retreated into my mind to make it easier. My body's alive...barely. I can't communicate with the outside world,_ the spirit managed. Yugi nodded, getting used to the voice filling his head.

"But...but how can you hear me?" Yugi asked. He could mentally feel his other smile.

_Because it's you,_ he simply answered. Yugi blushed softly at the obvious statement.

_Yugi,_ Ki said, shame obvious in his voice, _I'm sorry, but I forfeited my duel with Samson. I lost your starchips and your chance to get back your grandfather. I just couldn't bear to lose you. I'm so sorry._

Yugi bit his lip, blinking rapidly to hold in the tears.

"No, please," he whispered. "None of this is your fault. It's all mine!" Despite his best attempts, the tears started to roll down Yugi's face. "I'm so sorry I didn't trust you. You did everything for me. You gave up your duel. You protected me. You tried everything to make me pleased with you again! You saved my life. You've done so much I'll never be able to repay you for! You even sacrificed your life to save someone you didn't like!"

_Samson's not so bad when you get used to him,_ Ki chuckled. _Besides, I could tell you enjoyed his company._

"Stop thinking of me, would you?" Yugi scolded. "Try focusing on your body. I need to find you and get you out of here."

_Yugi,_ Ki sighed, _I retreated within myself so that I would be conscious long enough to talk with you one last time..._

"Stop!" the boy shouted. "Don't talk like that. Where are you? I can get you out of here." Yugi started crawling around, looking for the other half of his soul.

_I wanted to ask for your forgiveness. I don't want to die knowing you still hate me._ Yugi stilled at that. Wrapping his good arm around himself, he began sobbing again.

"Is that what you think? You thought I hated you?" He shook his head. "I never did. You're the other half of my soul. I could never hate you. Ki, I love you. Please don't leave me," Yugi pleaded.

_Thank you, Yugi,_ Ki said. His voice was light, like a burden had been lifted from his shoulders. _I'm sorry I can't fulfill your last request. _

Yugi began to feel his other half slipping away. A part deep within him was darkening and turning into a deep void. He knew that if he didn't stop it from forming, the hole would swallow the rest of his very being in its infinite loneliness.

"No! Ki!"

-------------------

The Spirit of the Ring followed the direction his item directed him in until he found himself breathing the fresh air of the forest. Sighing gratefully, he leaned against and slid down the trunk of a nearby tree, holding the puzzles up to the late afternoon sun. They gleamed in the deep red light.

"Now how do I turn it back into one?" he mused. If the spirit could connect the separated halves of the Millennium Puzzles back into a single solid form, the power he would possess would be unimaginable. And since he had done his handiwork outside the sight of Pegasus, the keeper of the Millennium Eye would not be able to prepare himself for the assault that would inevitability find itself at his door.

"Bakura," he growled, looking up as the meeker half formed his transparent image. "Don't stand above me. I don't like it."

Bakura sat down next to his other half, watching as the spirit turned the puzzles over and over in his hands.

"Yes?" he asked softly.

"I have a riddle for you," the spirit said. Bakura tilted his head to one side in curiosity. "How do you make two halves a whole again?" Bakura sighed and leaned against the tree.

"You can't do it," he finally answered his darker self. "It's because you're an outside force," he quickly answered upon receiving a glare. "_They_ have to want to be one, or else they'll push at each other until they break apart again."

"You're too poetic," the spirit spat. Then he gasped. The puzzles were glowing brightly, and this time it wasn't the light of the sun.

_Spirit?_ Bakura asked, having safely been tucked back into the ring. _What's happening?_

The spirit was prevented from answering as the glowing turned into a bright flash. Once his vision cleared, he looked back at his hands. The two halves were no longer there.

_What...what happened? Where'd they go?_ Bakura wondered. The spirit mentally sneered at him.

"You said it best yourself," he growled. "Two halves only join if they want to become one."

------------------------

Yugi looked around the cavern frantically for Ki. It didn't help that he couldn't see. Something glowed brightly, lighting up the area. Yugi could see Samson, rock, dust, and...and nothing else.

"Ki? Ki?!" he called out, ignoring the source of the light. "No...don't leave me! Please..." Yugi's cries dropped to a low whimper. "Please...don't leave me."

_Looks like I'll be able to fill that request after all._ Yugi's eyes darted every which way. There was a mental laugh. _Look down, little one._

Yugi did as he was instructed. Resting safely on its cord and his chest was the Millennium Puzzle. Yugi smiled, and this time the streams that formed down his cheeks were from tears of joy.

He felt himself being swept into his mind and taken to a place that he had never seen before. Yet somehow the long corridor with two doors on either side (one open and full of toys and the other's heavy metal door closed to the world) seemed awfully familiar. Oh well, there'd be time to explore later. Something else mattered more now.

A healthy and smiling Ki was standing in front of him.

"I knew only you had the power to rejoin us," he said.

"Ki..." Yugi whispered. Then, much to the elder's surprise, the smaller rushed his other half and tackled him to the floor in the biggest bear hug the spirit had received in 5,000 years.


	14. Chapter 14

Actually, I was planning on only having one chapter left, but I felt horrible for not getting a new chapter out in two weeks...major case of the writer's block...:P So I cut the last chapter into two smaller chapters to get something fresh to ya'll.

So anyway, this is just basically tying up a few loose ends. The next chapter should be the end...let's hope I don't get writer's block again...

-------------------------

Yugi looked up at his surprised other half, smiling for the mere fact he was so happy it was impossible not to. Ki smiled back and used a thumb to wipe the tears from the young boy's face.

"I was so scared I lost you forever," Yugi said still holding the spirit tightly. Ki looked down at his lighter half with a puzzled expression before smiling again.

"Don't be so dramatic," he said in good humor. "You act like I am of major importance to the world."

"Maybe you aren't to the world," Yugi answered back, "but you're important to me." Ki's brow furrowed in confusion and shock. It seemed like forever since someone had cared for him like this.

"I'm sorry I forced you out," he continued. "Look at everything that happened because of it. I should've known better than to give up on you so soon. You were just trying to protect me from the pain of losing my grandpa. But," Yugi looked up at Ki this time, "please, when we duel again, don't risk someone's life like that."

Ki nodded and ruffled Yugi's hair fondly.

"Of course, little one. After all, all I really accomplished was causing us both more pain." He sighed. "But on that subject, what're we going to do about your grandfather? I lost our chips."

Yugi shook his head, grinning from ear to ear.

"Nope." He held up his right arm. Glittering around the gauntlet were five starchips. "I tried to tell you before. That's something else we need to work on: communication skills."

Ki grabbed Yugi's wrist and looked over the chips to make sure he was seeing them correctly. He frowned. Ok, he had really messed up on that one. If he would've listened to Yugi in the first place, they could've already had ten starchips and wagered something else for directions to the way out. The little one was right...Ki needed to start listening more and acting less.

"But...how? I mean, our deck had been split so..."

"I'm guessing it's because starchips don't exactly have souls. They're like our clothing. I mean, if our clothing were to of split between the two of us..." Yugi blushed at the mental image. "But the monsters in our deck do have an energy if not souls. Souls can't exactly split into two separate cards with two separate souls...I think." He shrugged. "It's like what Grandpa always says about a heart in the cards."

Ki nodded, then stood, pulling Yugi up with him. The once-again-spirit dusted off his clothing.

"Well then, partner," he said. "Samson is waiting for us. We have five more starchips to earn as well as my freedom."

"Oh, right!" Yugi laughed. "I could see Samson taking you on walks...pointing out all the pretty rocks!"

"We are in the same body again remember?" Ki snorted. "So you would be right with me."

"At least we'd be together," he responded cheerfully.

----------------------

"Yugi?" Samson poked the comatose boy. He had been sitting there for only a few seconds, starring off into nothingness, but with the way he had been fussing only moments before, this slack pose didn't fit right. Maybe he needed to see Master Winged Horse Man? That one arm of his was bent in a weird position. Out of curiosity, Samson tried bending his arm to see if he could get it to go in the same direction, but yelped with the twisting started to hurt. That's when Yugi blinked a few times and looked around him.

"I can see," he murmured. "Thanks Ki."

"Yugi's alright!" Samson hugged the boy tightly, forgetting about that weird bend in the one arm. Yugi screamed, which caused him to be dropped by Samson, which caused him to scream again. "Yugi's not alright!"

There was a small flash of the puzzle around Yugi's neck, and when Samson could see again, he noticed the boy's arm was now back in its proper place. Yugi tried flexing it a few times. He smiled.

"Yugi's ok again!" Samson once again swept the smaller boy up into a crushing hug. Yugi winced but did his best to return the affectionate gesture.

"Thanks Samson," he said. The other boy put him down.

"Where's Fake Yugi?" Samson asked, looking all around them. "He owes me an explanation." He sniffed. "He hurt my feelings..."

"Ki...Fake Yugi is...inside me now," Yugi explained. Had it been anyone else, they might have pried further. But this was Samson. He let the subject drop with a careless shrug and a happy grin.

"So I have you both still. And I, Samson Delbert, challenge you, Yugi Motou...you are the real Yugi right?" he asked. Yugi nodded. "...Yugi Motou, to a duel!"

"I'll accept, but only on the terms that I get five starchips, led the way out of here, and the Fake Yugi is no longer required to be your pet. Do you agree?" Yugi asked. Samson clapped happily and dragged Yugi back down the tunnel towards the dueling platform.

"I'm taking that as a yes."


	15. Chapter 15

Ack! I forgot to answer questions and stuff last chapter. So I'll do it this one!

Pruningshears – About Bakura acting not so upset in Chapter 12. Well even though he doesn't like death, I get this feeling like it's happened before, ya know? So he just deals with it kinda quietly...

Lady Wolf Moon – Ah, Bakura's being dealt with in this chapter, do not worry about him. I was just tying up some loose ends...not all of them.

Linchi - laughs nervously Um, there's kinda this funny thing where I don't actually do that whole dueling thing. I'm in love with Yu-Gi-Oh's storyline, not the dueling (don't get me wrong, I love the monsters...so well drawn with great personalities!).

Thanks to the rest of you all for reviewing and for the wonderful encouragement. This is the last chapter...sniff I always feel this way when I end a story. But luckily, my brain is moving, and I do have a new story all worked up! Now I just have to start it...blushes

Thank you all once again for your support. The story would not have been written without it. As for this last chapter...remember that this is based on the show. Thus the small, awkward flirt scene between the most obvious pairing on the show as well as Mai's attitude. She's not a ditz, but she doesn't seem to hold much love for camping. Um, oh, and Joey and Tristen are semi-intelligent...ya know, like they actually should be shown more or less...:P

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"Hey! Hey Joey! Earth to Joey! Wake up!"

Joey jumped a few feet off the ground, rubbing his aching thigh. Growling, he glared at the foot that had caused the bruise he knew was going to form, following the brown shoe up the leg to its owner.

"You didn't have to kick me, ya know?" he replied crossly, yawning and stretching before picking himself up from the cozy patch of grass.

"I've only been trying to wake you up for the past fifteen minutes!" Tristen said while putting his friend into a headlock. "I guess I should've ignored Téa and used that water after all. You sure do need a shower." Joey growled louder and struggled to get out of Tristen's grip.

"Will you two stop it?!" Téa yelled. "We need to keep looking for Yugi and Bakura." Tristen released a grateful Joey. The blonde rubbed his neck and glared at the taller boy.

"Hey, I'm just as worried about them as you are," Tristen said, "but it's been nearly two days since Yugi and that creepy look-a-like ran off, and Bakura's been gone for a whole day."

"So you just want to give up, is that it?" She gave him the women's you-better-not-say-yes-and-reply-with-something-really-good-or-else glare.

"No, no!" Tristen replied quickly, putting his hands up defensively. "I'm just saying...that...um...well..."

"We need a break, Téa." Tristen silently thanked Joey for saving him from his expected doom. "Look," the blonde continued, "I care just as much about Yug as you do, but we haven't slept for almost two days. We're tired and hungry and....did that bush just move?"

Téa squealed and ran behind Joey and Tristen, both who had taken up fighting stances. The bush rustled again, and Mai stepped out, pulling twigs and leaves from her hair as she approached the relieved group.

"Don't scare us like that Mai," Joey scolded, relaxing again.

"Don't scare you?! This is the welcome I get after I hiked all the way around this nasty forest? Do you know what's in a forest?!" she yelled. "There's bugs and mud and twigs and they all want to crawl on me!"

"Did you find Yugi?" a hopeful Téa asked, ignoring Mai's complaints.

"No," she sighed. "All of my hard work, and I never saw the kid."

"Well you didn't look hard enough."

All four people turned around to see a tired, dirty, yet safe Yugi.

"Hey guys," he said smiling cheerfully. Téa had her arms around him seconds later. Yugi's eyes widened, shock coming over him as her shoulders started shaking. "Téa..." He placed a hand on her back, rubbing gently. "Hey, it's ok. I'm fine." She pulled away, and Yugi found himself once again surprised. But this time she was angry.

"Yugi Motou," she said fiercely, pointing a finger at him, "don't you ever scare me like that again. I was so worried..."

Yugi smiled and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry Téa. I promise I'll be more careful," he said.

"You better..." she mumbled, wiping her eyes. Happy with his answer, she stood and backed up so that the others could greet Yugi.

"Hey man!" Joey and Tristen ran up to him, "what happened? Where've ya been? What happened to the other you? You look tired? Got any food?"

"Whoa whoa..." Yugi held up his hands to defend himself from the barrage of questioning. "Slow down guys."

"Hey!" Joey exclaimed, grabbing Yugi's wrist and turning it around a few times. "You got all ten! How'd you do that?"

"I challenged someone to a duel and won. How else would I get them?" he teased. Samson had been upset at losing, but the man kept his promises. There had been a tearful good-bye...well, mostly tearful for Samson, who Yugi had to pry off to finally get away.

"Good going kid," Mai said.

"Yeah, congratulations," Tristen added, looking around them. "But, um, where's the other Yugi? I kinda don't see him around here or anything..."

"He's back where he belongs. In here," he held up the puzzle, "and here," he finished pointing to his heart.

"So then you guys are ok? No more disliking each other and all that?" Joey asked. Yugi nodded.

"Yup! We had a few bumps, but everything's been worked out," he said.

_For that I am glad,_ Ki added. Yugi smiled internally at his words.

"So, he's still inside you then?" Joey asked. "Is there, you know, anyway we could meet him? After all, he's been hangin' with us ever since you have. We need to officially welcome Yugi Number Two into da group."

_I have a name. _

"Firstly, his name is Ki," Yugi told the others. "And maybe sometime later. He seems a little grumpy right now."

_You would be too if you had almost died and then dueled an eliminator with no rest in between,_ Ki replied indignantly.

"Great!" Joey said. "Now if we could only find Bakura, we could get into that nice warm castle up there and have a decent meal."

There was a loud yelp, and Tristen spun just in time to catch a flailing Bakura. After untangling his foot from a few vines, a rather red ring bearer was able to stand on his own two feet.

"Well there goes my surprise entrance," he softly joked. The others laughed politely, alleviating some of the embarrassment from the poor boy.

_He's still there..._ Ki hissed, staring through Yugi's eyes at the place he knew the ring sat under the heavy sweater.

"And where have you been?" Mai demanded. Bakura turned red again and stared at his shoes as if they were the ones that had asked the question.

"Well...you see, I was looking for Yugi same as all of you, and...well...I'm as directionally challenged as I am clumsy," he explained. Tristen laughed and patted the smaller boy on the back.

"Well don't worry. We never leave anyone behind. You're safe as long as you're with us," he said. Bakura smiled warmly at the kind gesture.

"Well then, since we don't seem to have anything else to wait on, what's our next plan of action?" he asked. Joey grinned and proudly showed off Yugi's ten starchips.

"We're headin' to da castle now! See if we can't win some of that prize money and a grandpa, right Yug?" he asked.

"Right Joey!"

"Well what're we waiting for then? C'mon, I need a decent room and shower." Mai turned and started walking towards the looming castle. Everyone turned and followed, but as Bakura trotted to catch up with the group, Yugi placed a hand on his arm. Knowingly, the white haired teen stayed at the back, walking next to his smaller friend.

"Ki says he can banish your spirit," Yugi said quietly once they had fallen back far enough from the rest of the group.

"He's still alive?" Bakura smiled. "I'm glad. The spirit has hurt so many people..."

"Did you hear me?" Yugi regarded his friend with concern. There was a faraway, misted look in those brown eyes. The taller boy sighed.

"Yes," he said, even softer than usual.

"Hey Tristen," Joey poked his target. "We're going to lose them again." He jerked his thumb back to the two boys deep in conversation. Tristen shook his head.

"Naw," he said. "I'm keeping an eye on them. Yugi's probably is explaining the whole Ki thing to Bakura."

"You think that's it?" Joey asked, looking back again. "I mean, it is pretty weird that they both got lost and showed up about the same time. And I've been having these weird dreams...like memories, ya know? Me an' you an' Téa an' Yugi battlin' with Big Ki and Big Bakura..."

"Drop it Joey," Tristen said. "I trust Yugi and Bakura. They'll tell us if they think we need to know."

"Yeah...I guess you're right." Joey sounded unsure, though. He took another glance at the two at the rear of the group. Bakura was sighing.

"Can I ask you something Yugi?" he wondered.

"Sure Bakura."

"When Ki betrayed you...you felt horrible right? Like you couldn't believe someone so close to you, someone who had guided you for so long, had actually wanted to do this horrible thing, right?" he asked. Yugi nodded. "And when you pushed him out of you, Yugi, didn't it hurt? I don't mean just physically; didn't your soul hurt beyond words? Didn't you, for one moment, want to die instead of giving up that other half of you? The part that completed you?"

Bakura had turned to look at Yugi at this point, his gaze penetrating the other with such intensity that Yugi was forced to look away. Every word spoken was like an arrow piercing his heart.

"You must know how I feel then," Bakura continued, so quiet Yugi strained to hear him. "Every time he hurts someone else, I feel so much pain. Why? Why does he continue to do it, even though he knows it rips at my soul?"

Yugi looked back up at Bakura. He was silently crying as walked.

"I'm not sure why, Yugi. I wish it could be so simple as to say he doesn't care about my feelings. But that can't be true. If it was, I wouldn't be able to feel him pacing right now. My crying bothers him. He doesn't like it. It upsets him. Like it upset him when I was hurt because he wanted to kill you. That's why he stopped. That's why he didn't kill you. Because of me." Bakura wiped his eyes, determination apparent on his face.

"I can't let you banish him. I know it sounds crazy, but I just can't let you. He's my other half, and as long as he continues to be upset and worry about me, I will always give him another chance to prove himself," he whispered fiercely. Yugi smiled, a wistful look in his eyes.

"It's not crazy." Yugi felt bonded to Bakura at that moment. They shared something: a common feeling and experience, that no other, not even their other half's, could ever comprehend. They had both been and would still go through troubling times when their faith in the darker parts of them would be tested. They both feared one of those times would end in incomprehensible pain. At that moment, they understood each other completely.

"Thank you." Bakura held up his ring for a moment, letting the evening light glint off of it, giving the appearance the boy held a ring of fire.

_Dark Ring_, Ki snarled. _That monster is just lucky he has such a gentle soul to look after him. _

_Everyone deserves second chances,_ Yugi replied.

_That Stealer of Souls has had all the second chances he needs, _he retorted. _Bakura has to draw the line one of these days. _

_That will be for Bakura to decide. _

_If he survives, _Ki said.

_Ki..._ Yugi warned.

_As long as it is Bakura's wish, I will not interfere._ The spirit sighed dejectedly. _Unless he tries to hurt you or your friends, that is. _

_Thank you,_ Yugi replied with a smile. Ki blinked.

_For what?_ he asked. _You already knew I'd protect you._

_I mean for not being like Bakura's spirit. Thank you for being the person you are,_ Yugi said.

_You were worried before, though, that I was like him. You were, weren't you? _

_Yes. But you proved me wrong._ Yugi felt Ki ruffle his hair affectionately.

_Bakura and you were chosen for a reason. Though I'm not like the Spirit of the Ring, I do need guidance of my own. I am glad to have someone like you keep me focused on what is really important._ Ki felt Yugi's happiness swell through and blend with his own. For a second, he felt true bliss.

The Spirits of the Millennium Items and, yes, _their_ guardians (for it is truly the light that tells the darkness where it may exist)...they are two hearts, two minds, two souls, two very different people, forced to share one body. But when two halves long for it, when they truly trust each other, for a moment, they are one.

"Hey you losers! Last one to the castle door is a rotten egg!" Mai called down already having reached the stone steps. Yugi was jolted out of his conversation, shaking his head to clear it. Everyone was looking at him.

"Let's go!" he cheered.

"Yeah!" they all shouted and started racing up the steps.

"Gangway!" Joey shouted.

"You gangway!" Téa yelled back.

"Hey, wait up!" Bakura called all the way from the back.

"And Tristen takes the lead!" Tristen whooped.

"Not likely!"

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And so the story goes...


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